Trailer hitch alignment system
US5951035A · kind A · utility
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 11, 1997 |
| Grant date | Sep 14, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 11, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC B)Performing Operations; Transporting
- CPC primaryB60D1/36
- WIPO fieldTransport
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
The trailer hitch alignment system of the present invention includes an alerting device and a tow bar assembly for attachment to a towing vehicle. The tow bar assembly includes a photoelectric sensor for detecting the vertical alignment of a trailer tongue. The tow bar assembly has a hitch ball with a spherical top and a cylindrical body for coupling with a trailer tongue having a semi-spherical socket. In one embodiment, the photoelectric sensor is mounted on the tow bar of the tow bar assembly, adjacent to the hitch ball. In another embodiment, the hitch ball houses the photoelectric sensor within its interior. During operation, the driver of the towing vehicle typically maneuvers the vehicle toward the trailer in a rearward direction. Once the photoelectric sensor detects the vertical alignment of the socket with the ball, the alerting device is activated informing the driver of the alignment.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.